Safety-gate for mine-shafts.



W. H. FI-NLEY.

SAFETY GATE FOR MIN. E SHAFTS. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 19, I918.

4 SHEETS SHEET I. I

ms Ngmels P215115 ca, PNmLIYHIL. wnsmuamn. n. c.

W. 'H. FlNLEY.

SAFETY GATE FOR MiNE SHAFTS.

APPLICATION man Has. 19. me.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. Zlwvemtoz W. H. FINLEY.

SAFETY'GATE FOR MINE SHAFTS. APPLICATION man FEB. r9, 19m.

1,276,199. Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

4 $HEETSSHEET 3- W. H. FINLEY.

SAFETY GATE FOR MINE SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. 1918.

1,276,199. Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

4 SHEE TSSHEET 4.

; ran s'rarns Paras WAZLTER HARDIE FINLEY, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO FAIRMONT MINING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF FAIRMON'I, WEST VIRGINIA, A COR R TI N OF WEST VIRGINIA.

snrnrv-earn m MINE-SHAFTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. FINLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairmont, county of Marion, State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Gates for Mine-Shafts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic gates employed in connection with lifts or hoists and particularly mine shaft elevator cages.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means whereby the gate operating mechanism may be rendered effective for operation from a distant point as, for example, Within convenient reach of the holsting engineer. v

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby when the hoisting mechanism is set for, operation, the gate will be opened whenthe cage reaches a predetermined level, but will be automatically closed when the cage passes beyond such level. The setting of the gate operating mechanism to permit it to open is controlled by an electro-magnetic device illustrated as a solenoid. When the solenoid is not energized the mechanism for opening the gate cannot be thrown into operation. V

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view of a gate operating mechanism constructed in accordunce with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the gate operating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the break joint for the clutch operating rod;

Fig. 5 is asectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; s

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1; i V

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the gate tilting mechanism;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged top the gate hoistin mechanism;

Fig. 9 is an en arged side elevational view of the gate operating mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a plan view looking down from the plane 10 1O of Fig. 9; V

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the clutch throwing mechanism;

plan view of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 20 1918. Application filed Februaryw, 1918. Serial). 218,054.

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view ofithe.

gate retaining mechanism; and V Fig 13 is a detail view of a presser foot to release the clutch.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference, 1 designates a standard on which are brackets 2 and 8 which support respectively the top and bottom rails4 and 5 of the gate 6, saidrails being pivoted to the brackets in any well known manner. On the upper end of the standard 1 is a machine base 7 upon which is mounted a motor 8, the shaft 9 of which is provided with a pinion 10 meshing with a gear 11 on shaft 12, in bearing 13, which shaft also carries a gear 14 meshing with a gear 15 on the shaft 16 upon which is loosely mounted a winding drum'17 adaptedto be clutched to the shaft through the clutch 18 and its actuator 19 in the usual manner when it is desired to wind the cable 20 thereon, but when as areversing motor provided with the con-.

ductors 21 and 22 for the aheadfmotion and 22 and 23 for the reverse motion. In the circuit including the conductor 21 is an electromagnetic device shown as a solenoid 24: on

the bracket 25 carried by the standard 1.

The core 26 of the solenoid is provided intermediate its ends with a head 27 having a vertical elongated slot and between the head and the solenoid coil is a'spring 29 mounted to oppose the magnetism of the coil to normally move the head away therefrom, upon a guide pin 30 projecting from the head and through a guide bracket 31 on the standard 1. Adjacent to the standard 1 and substantially parallel therewith is a vertical reciprocatory clutch actuating rod 32 which extends nearly the entire ]ength of the standard and through the base 7. The rod 32 is provided with a shoulder or collar 33 against one end of which a coil spring 34 bears, the other end of the spring acting against the base 7 so that there is a normal tendency to depress the rod 32 to make it slide in a downward direction in its guides 35. Near the upper end of the rod 32 is a slot 37 in which is positioned one end of the lateral arm 38 of the bell crank lever 39 pivoted to the base 7 and having its other arm 40 connected to the lever 41 pivoted intermediate its ends as at 42 to a floatin g bracket 43 on a longitudinal shifting rod 44. The upper end of the lever 41 is bifurcatedas shown at 45 to embrace clutch actuating member 19 so that when an upward movement is imparted to the arm 38 of the bell crank 39 and as the arm 40 moves from right to left the bifurcated portion of the lever 41 will move from left to right and cause the clutch 18 to connect the drum to the shaft 16. An upward movement may not be imparted to theshaft 32 unless the solenoid is energized because between the major portion of the rod 32 and its end 32 are the toggle levers 46 and 47, the outer respective ends of which are connected to the rod 32 and its end 32 and the inner ends of which are connected by a pivot pin 48 in the vertical slot 28 so it will be seen that when the solenoid is not energized and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, any upward movement imparted to the end 32 will simply communicate motion to the toggles without effecting any corresponding movement in the rod proper 32. When, however, the solenoid is energized, the toggle levers will be brought into vertical alinement with the rod 32 and its end 32 so that when the wheel 49 on the mine cage 50 comes into contact with-the depending arm 51 of the elbow lever 52, the lateral arm 53 will impart an upward reciprocatory movement to the end 32', the two toggle levers and the rod 32 against the action of the spring 34 to throw in the clutch 18. hen the clutch 18 is thrown in (this being at the time that the cage is at the proper level), the drum will start to be wound by the motor 8, pre viously energized, so that the cable 20 connected to the forward end of the gate 6 will cause it to tilt, the stop projection 55 coming in contact with the cam 56 will cause the gate to fold up or collapse because the vertical bars 6 arepivoted to the rails 4 and 5 respectively. The elevation of the gate will continue until the pusher foot 57 comes in contact with a bolt 58 011 the base 7 and by imparting a reciprocatory movement to said bolt 58, the link 59 engaging the slot 60 in the sliding shaft 44 will impart a longitudinal movement to the set shaft 44. The longitudinal movement imparted to the shaft 44 must result when a transverse movement is imparted to the bolt 58 for the reason that the link 59 is at an angle to the bolt with its thrust in the direction of the length of the shaft. This shifts the floating bracket 43 from right to left (Figs. 8 and 11) so that the clutch 18 will be thrown out. It will be apparent, therefore, that even though the motor is operating at such time the drum will be disconnected from its shaft 16. By reference to Fig. 12, it will be observed that the upper end of the shaft 32 is split at .62 to engage a slotted crank 64 which carries a bracket 65 supporting a retaining pawl 66.

Therefore, when the rod 32 is raised the retaining pawl 66 will be depressed so as to engage the end of the gate in its open posi tion. When, however, the cage 50 moves away from the level and the solenoid is deenergized, the spring 29 will force the toggles into the position shown in Fig. 4 with the result that the rod 32 will be depressed causing the crank 64 to rock the detent 66 out of contact with the gate so that it may close as shown in Fig. 1 as the pusher 57 moves away from the bolt 58, the spring 67 hearing against the collar 68 on the shaft 44 will shift the shaft from left to right to bring the floating bracket 43 into position to permit the clutch to be operated the neXt time the cage reaches the proper position with respect to the level guarded by the gate 6.

If desired, signal lights may be included in circuit, an example of which is shown in Fig. 1 as is indicated at 69.

I claim g 1. A gate operating mechanism comprising a driving means and a driven means, a device for connecting and disconnecting the driving means to and. from the driven means, an actuator for the device responsive to a lift cage, means for normally preventing functioning of the actuator, and means to cause the actuator to function.

2. A gate operating mechanism, comprising a driving means and a driven means, a device for connecting one to the other, an actuator responsive to a lift cage for actuating the device, said actuator being normally inoperative and an electro-magnetic means provided with distant control to render the actuator operative.

3. A gate operating mechanism comprising a winding drum, a motor driven shaft for said winding drum, a clutch interposed between the motor driven shaft and the winding drum, an actuator for the clutch, comprising a reciprocatory rod having an end and flexible connection between the said rod and said end, means for rendering said flexible connection rigid and means responsible to a lift cage to impart a reciprocatory movement to said end when the flexible connection is temporarily rendered rigid.

4. A gate operating mechanism comprising a winding drum, a motor for operating it, a clutch between the winding drum and the motor, a clutch actuator comprising a rod, a flexible connection between the end of the rod, means fortemporarilyrendering the of its predetermined winding movement to shift the floating bracket tothrow out the clutch. V

'6. A gate operating mechanism comprising a standard, a winding drum on said standard, a motor'for actuating said drum,

a clutch interposed between the motor and the drum, an actuator for said clutch comprising a rod, a connection between. the a c tuator and the clutch including a pivoted lever. one end of which is connected to a clutch member and the bracket in which the lever is pivoted, a gate actuated means for shifting the shiftable bracket and a gate engaging detent responsive to the upward movement of the rod to engage the gate. I

7 A gate operating mechanism comprising a winding drum, and a motor therefor,

, means for connecting and disconnecting the drum and motor, including a reciprocatory" rod, a toggle joint between the ends of the rod, a solenoid for alining the toggle levers with the two parts of the-rod whereby a movement imparted to one part of the rod will be imparted to the other and means for imparting movement to one of the rod parts.

8. The combination with a standard, of an upwardly swinging folding gate pivotally supported bysaid standard, a winding drum at the upper. end'of the standard and having a cable, one end of which is connected to the forward end of the gate, a motor for operating said drum, a clutch between the drum and the motor, a rod slidably supported by the standard, clutch operating elements cooperatingwith said rod and com' prising a shifting bracket, .a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to saidbracket, one end of which is connected to the rod, a longitudinally sliding rod connected to the shiftable bracket to impart a sidewise movement thereto, a bolt for operating said rod and responsive to pressure exerted by the gate when itis moved to its collapsed posi- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

tion, a swinging gate detent, and a connection between the detent and rod whereby the movement of the rod in one direction will move the detent into gate engaging position and the movement of the rod in opposite direction will move the detent into gatereleasing position.

9. The combination with a standard, of

" a machine base on said standard, awinding drum supported by said "base, and a motor for operating it, a clutch for connecting and disconnecting the motor and the drum, and

including a pivoted clutch lever, a swinging gate, a swinging gate detent for engaging the upwardly swinging gate when raised by the drum, and an upwardly sliding rod connected to the clutch lever, throwing the clutch and connected with the detent to move it into gate engaging position.

10. In a gate operating mechanism, an electric circuit, a motor in the circuit and an electro-magneticdevice in the circuit, a gate opening mechanism comprising a winding drum having a, cable for attachment, to a gate, means for connecting the drum to the motor, an actuator therefor comprising a reciprocatory rod, means normally render ing the rod inoperative, and means cooperating with the rod and electro-magnetic deviceto render the rod operativewhen'the electro-magnetic device is energized and the.

motor is rotating.

11. In a gate operating mechanism, a mo-' g I tor, 'a'winding drum having a. cordfor engagement with the gate, alclutch between the motor and the drum, a. clutch actuator, a gate detent connected 'tothe clutch actuator and movable into operative position when themotor and drum are clutched together, and means responsive to a lift cage com )risin a reci )rocator 7 rod a bell crank 9 lever, a floating bracket, a lever pivoted in the floating bracket and engaging a clutch member, a sliding rod to which. the bracket is secured and spring-pressed in one direction, and means for shifting said rodagainst' the action of the spring. a

'The foregoing specification signed at Fairmont, W. Va., this 30th day of January,

. WALTER I-IARDIE FINLEY.

Washington, D. 0. 

